Because of you, a bear was killed. You kept making a mess. You kept leaving your garbage on the ground and in the shelter. You kept cooking in your campsite. You kept storing food in your tent and in your backpack. And the bear still couldn't resist. It was hungry and alone. And it kept coming back.

I was fortunate enough to attend camp in some capacity for every summer from the age of five (at YMCA John Island's family camp) through to the age of 29 (as the director of YMCA Camp Kitchikewana). In those 25 or so summers in between, I had the pleasure of attending and/or working at seven camps in total. The following is what I took away from a quarter century of camp.

It all comes down to accountability. It isn't about luck. It is about effort, attitude and willingness. Stop giving yourself excuses why you are where you are, why you don't have what you think you should have, or why you don't have what others have.

I want the party and Prime Minister I vote for to show responsibility with how they spend our money; how they treat all classes of citizens and our environment; with how they paint a picture of the future they want to get to, and how I'm part of it.

Have some structures in place that help support order and routines and which ultimately teach children how to be self-reliant over time. Remember -- the goal of parenting is to work yourself out of a job, not raise a dependent who is a failure to launch, as the saying goes.

I know many of you are as appalled as I am about the news stories highlighting negligent home daycares. It is common that in Canada the reaction is to crack down on that which is deemed "uncontrolled" and to pass legislation which will hopefully protect our young. That said, I believe it is time to fill your news feeds with another perspective: that of a responsible caregiver.

nd I'd give myself a solid 8/10 at life. It's just that remaining 2/10 that's sometimes missing. This other 20 per cent is, in my opinion, the zest of life. It's those moments you get caught up in and find yourself wondering if this is really your life -- is it actually possible to be this excruciatingly happy?

If you are currently transitioning from a full-time career to a full-time career and caregiving, you know how challenging it can be. Finding the right balance can seem near impossible, which leads to overwhelming levels of stress and concern. Family is priority but what about your career? The number of unpaid caregivers in Canada continues to rise, as more and more family members require care. As a caregiver, you know that your duties are a full-time role in itself.

If we convey negative or suspicious attitudes about other cultures and ethnicities, our kids will pick up on these and replicate our behaviour. "Monkey see, monkey do" is real so keep this in mind and remember to convey a positive and open attitude about other cultures, particularly around your children.

What would Abraham Lincoln or Vaclav Havel think of Rob Ford, or the growing list of other politicians fallen into an unethical swamp? Two leaders who fought against the tyranny of slavery or of communism would surely shake their heads at our sliding scale of accountability.

The tragic death of two-year-old Eva Ravikovich who died in an unlicensed home daycare that was clearly overrun with children has spurred lawsuits against both the daycare provider and the Ministry of Education. While the lawsuits seem perfectly justifiable, there is one more party that is arguably culpable in the death of this little girl: Her parents.

People don't like being held accountable for their actions and like to blame their problems on anyone but themselves. This is especially true when it comes to their weight and genetics. When you can blame genetics, you're no longer held accountable for your weight problems and you basically accept defeat.

The U.S. Department of Defense wants to enlarge the U.S. military's reliance on autonomous (i.e. self-directed) weapons in conflict. But a mission is not a person, it is a thing, and things cannot be held morally responsible. It is like saying that you want to hold your car responsible for breaking down on the way to work. You wouldn't say that your car "wronged" you, and you wouldn't seek to punish your car. Such a position on the ethics of autonomous systems reduces any questions of morality or responsibility.

Once upon a time when the world was young and had hope, and global warming, the one per cent and social media hadn't yet been invented, there truly was a golden age for TV news in North America. Could Microsoft bring that golden age back since its split from MSNBC?

Confession: I was an A-hole kid. I gave into the monkey mentality and harassed another person who everyone decided was a loser -- even our teacher. Consequences were only mentioned in passing after that kid killed himself.
Watch the Karen Huff Klein video with your kids. Show them what bullying looks like. Teach them.

David McCullough Jr. recently gave a commencement address, in which he told the students the cold, hard reality that "none of you is special." Who is to blame for this? Maybe those very same parents and teachers who are so quick to accuse us of it. The baby boomers, with the best intentions, have made us into what we are today: a generation of spoiled individuals. Why are they surprised?